Didymus the Blind, Commentaries on Job

it is possible for this to be inquired, whether the one reporting was able to know that it was a spirit serving the devil that had done this, or the devil himself. But if the spirit should be understood to be a whirlwind, thus this should be taken to have been said like the descent of the fire from heaven against the sheep, and the things said about it also apply to this. For the devil is not able to move the wind. And the word 'suddenly' is added and placed emphatically to show that no one was able to escape the fall when the matter happened thus, the messenger perhaps having been found outside. "So Job arose, tore his garments, and shaved the hair of his head, and falling on the ground he worshipped and said: 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I depart there. The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away; 33 as it seemed good to the Lord, so it has happened. Blessed be the name of the Lord.'" The divine spirit anticipates the malevolence of wicked men and of the devil himself. For perhaps one of these would have said that Job was not a lover of his children, since he had done nothing worthy of sympathy. But his sensitivity and courage are shown at the same time, because he showed that he had received the terror of the sudden and pitiful death of his children neither insensibly nor ignobly; for by 'tearing his garments and shaving his head'—for this was customary for the ancients over the dead—he shows his sympathy and affection. But what follows brings forth the clearest proof of his courage and surpassing wisdom, for it says: 'and falling on the ground'. He did not despair, he did not utter a voice unbefitting a wise man, he did not bring forth a word of contempt, but he worships the author of all, being convinced that these things do not happen outside of divine judgment and that, happening from the beginning, they occur consequently and according to a certain right reason. For he adds, even after worshipping: 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I depart there. The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away. As it seemed good to the Lord, so it has happened. Blessed be the name of the Lord.' Understand, 34 for with courage, wisdom is also found in the blessed Job, according to which, through his words, he introduces divine doctrines that are beneficial to the whole race of men. 'Naked,' he says, 'I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I depart there.' About which those must be asked who think nothing divine about the immortality of the soul. For where will Job depart naked? Surely into his mother's womb? For from there he came forth naked, according to what is said. But away with this false notion. It is indeed clear that this was said for the teaching that the soul is not sown together [with the body], as it has seemed to some. For the blessed Paul also writes something similar to this, saying: 'For we brought nothing into the world, because we cannot take anything out of it.' For just as 'to take out' implies that the one who has died subsists, so the one who brought nothing in subsists and enters from some place, bringing nothing of that sort with him. And he introduces that doctrine, unknown to many, saying: 'The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away,' showing with this that his possession was not unjust and did not have its beginning from some improper assistance. 'The Lord makes poor and makes rich,' not by some irrational inclination, as those who introduce fate 35 think, but so that the one being tested in these things might be known, whether he bears them properly, along with there being other reasons, some indeed known to men, but others secret, known only to God, which the blessed one, knowing, says: 'The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away. As it seemed good to the Lord, so it has also happened.' But 'it seemed good' must be heard not simply, but as God having judged so with certainty. Something similar to this is found in the Acts of the Apostles, when, writing a letter about not circumcising those who come to the worship of God, the apostles said: 'it seemed good to the

δυνατὸν ζητουμένου τούτου, εἰ ὁ ἀπαγγέλλων ἐδύνατο εἰδέναι, ὅτι πνεῦμα ὑπηρετούμενον τῶι διαβόλωι ἦν τὸ τοῦτο πεποιηκὸς ἢ αὐτὸς ὁ διάβολος. εἰ δὲ λαῖλαψ εἶναι νοοῖτο τὸ πνεῦμα, οὕτως ἂν τοῦτο εἰρῆσθαι ἐκδεκτέον ὡς τὴν κάθοδον τοῦ πυρὸς ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ κατὰ τῶν προβάτων, καὶ τὰ εἰς αὐτὸ εἰρημένα καὶ τούτωι ἁρμόζοντα. διάβολος γὰρ κινεῖν ἄνεμον οὐ δύναται. πρόσκειται δὲ καὶ ἐπ̣ιτεθὲν τὸ ἐξαίφνης ἐμφατικὸν τοῦ μὴ δύνασθαί τινα διαδρᾶναι τῆς πτώσεως οὕτως συμβάντος τοῦ πράγματος, ἔξωθεν ἴσως τοῦ ἀγγέλλοντος εὑρεθέντος. "οὕτως ἀναστὰς Ἰὼβ διέρρηξεν τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκείρατο τὴν κόμην τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ, καὶ πεσὼν χαμαὶ προσεκύνησεν καὶ εἶπεν· αὐτὸς γυμνὸς ἐξῆλθον ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου, γυμνὸς καὶ ἀπελεύσομαι ἐκεῖ. ὁ κύριος ἔδωκεν, ὁ κύριος ἀφείλατο, 33 ὡς τῷ κυρίῳ ἔδοξεν, οὕτως ἐγένε το. εἴη τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου εὐλογημένον." προλαμβάνει τὰς κακοηθείας τῶν πονηρῶν ἀνθρώπων τὸ θεῖον πνεῦμα καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ διαβόλου. ἴσως γάρ τις τῶν τοιούτων ἔλεγεν, ὡς οὐκ ἦν φιλότεκνος ὁ Ἰώβ, ἐπεὶ μηδὲν συμπαθείας ἄξιον ἐπεποιήκει. τὸ δὲ αἰσθητικὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀνδρεῖον ἅμα δείκνυται, ὅτι ἐφανέρου μήτε ἀνεπαισθήτως τὸ δεινὸν τοῦ ἀθρόου καὶ οἰκτροῦ θανάτου τῶν τέκνων δεδέχθαι μήτε ἀγεννῶς· διὰ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ "διαρρῆξαι τὰ ἱμάτια καὶ κείρασθαι τὴν κεφαλήν" -τούτου τοῖς παλαιοῖς γὰρ ἐπὶ τετελευτηκόσιν εἰωθότος-τὸ συμπαθὲς δείκνυσιν καὶ φιλόστοργον. τὰ δ' ἑξῆς τῆς ἀνδρείας καὶ ὑπερβαλλούσης φρονήσεως δεῖγμα ἐκφέρει προδηλότατον, εἰ γάρ φησιν· "καὶ πεσὼν χαμαί". οὐκ ἀπεδυσπέτησεν, οὐκ ἀφῆκε φωνὴν ἀνδρὶ συνετῶι ἀνάρμοστον, οὐ προήγαγε τὸ ῥῆμα ὀλιγωρι´̣ας, ἀλλὰ προσκυνεῖ τὸν πάντων γενεσιάρχην πεπεισμένος, ὡς οὐκ ἔξω τῆς θείας κρίσεως ταῦτα συμβαίνει καὶ συμβαίνοντα ἀπ' ἀρχῆς ἀκολούθως καὶ κατὰ λόγον τινα`̣ ὀρθὸν γί νεται. ἐπιφέρει γὰρ καὶ μετὰ τὸ προσκυνῆσαι· "γυμνὸς ἐξῆλθον ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου, γυμνὸς καὶ ἀπελεύσομαι ἐκεῖ. ὁ κύριος ἔδωκεν, ὁ κύριος ἀφείλατο. ὡς τῶι κυρίῳ ἔδοξεν, οὕτως ἐγένετο. εἴη τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου εὐλογημένον." κατανόησον 34 γάρ, ὡς μετὰ τῆς ἀνδρείας καὶ φρόνησις ἐν τῷ μακαρίωι Ἰὼβ εὑρίσκεται, καθ' ἣν διὰ τῶν λόγων δόγματα εἰσάγει θεῖα καὶ παντὶ τῶι γένει τῶν ἀνθρώπων συμφέροντα. "γυμνός", φησίν, "ἐξῆλθον ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός, γυμνὸς καὶ ἀπελεύσομαι ἐκεῖ". περὶ οὗ ἐρωτητέον τοὺς μηδὲν θεῖον περὶ τῆς ἀθανασίας τῆς ψυχῆς διανοουμένους. ποῦ γὰρ ὁ Ἰὼβ γυμνὸς ἀπελεύσεται; ἆρά γε ἐν τῆι κοιλίαι τῆς μητρός; ἐκεῖθεν γὰρ γυμνὸς ἐξελήλυθεν κατὰ τὸ λεγόμενον. ἀλλ' ἄπαγε τῆς ψευδοῦς ταύτης διανοίας. ἦ δῆλον, ὅτι πρὸς διδασκαλίαν τοῦ μὴ συσπείρεσθαι τὴν ψυχήν, καθώς τισιν ἔδοξεν, τοῦτο εἴρηται. ὅμοιον γὰρ τούτωι καὶ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος γράφει λέγων· "οὐδὲν γὰρ εἰσηνέγκαμεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον, ὅτι οὐδὲ ἐξενεγκεῖν τι δυνάμεθα." ὡς γὰρ τὸ ἐξενεγκεῖν ἐμφαίνει τὸν ἀποθανόντα ὑφεστῶτα, οὕτω ὁ μὴ εἰσενεγκὼν ὑφεστώς ἐστι καὶ ἔκ τινος χώρου εἰσέρχεται μηδὲν τοιοῦτον ἐπαγόμενος. κἀκεῖνο δὲ δόγμα πολλοῖς ἀγνοούμενον εἰσάγει λέγων· "ὁ κύριος ἔδωκεν, ὁ κύριος ἀφείλατο", μετὰ τούτου παριστῶν, ὡς οὐκ ἐτύγχανεν αὐτοῦ ἡ κτῆσις ἄδικος καὶ ἀπό τινος μὴ προσηκούσης ἐπικουρίας λαβοῦσα τὴν ἀρχήν. "κύριος πτωχίζει καὶ πλουτίζει", οὐκ ἀλόγῳ τινι ῥοπῇ, καθὰ οἱ τὴν εἱμαρμέ35 νην εἰσάγοντες διανοοῦνται, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῶι γνωσθῆναι τὸν ἐν τούτοις τεινόμενον, εἰ προσηκόντως αὐτὰ φέρει, μετὰ τοῦ καὶ ἑτέρας αἰτίας εἶναι, ἐνίας μὲν καὶ ἀνθρώποις γνωρίμους, ἐνίας δὲ ἀπορρήτους μόνωι θεῷ γιγνωσκομένας, ἅπερ ἐπιστάμενος ὁ μακάριός φησιν· "ὁ κύριος ἔδωκεν, ὁ κύριος ἀφείλατο. ὡς τῷ κυρίῳ ἔδοξεν, οὕτως καὶ ἐγένετο." τοῦ "ἔδοξεν" δ' ἀκουστέον μὴ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλ' ὡς τοῦ θεοῦ οὕτω βεβαίως κρίναντος. τούτωι ὅμοιον ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσι τῶν ἀποστόλων φέρεται, ὁπηνίκα ἐπιστολὴν γράφοντες περὶ τοῦ μὴ περιτέμνειν τοὺς προσ ερχομένους τῆι θεοσεβείᾳ ἔλεγον οἱ ἀπόστολοι· "ἔδοξεν τῷ